Economic and Environmental Role of Wetlands

Interview with Nick Davidson, Ramsar Convention’s Deputy Secretary General at CBD, COP11. The key role that rapidly diminishing wetlands play in supporting human life and biodiversity needs to be recognized and integrated into decision-making as a vital component of the transition to a resource-efficient, sustainable world economy, according to a new TEEB report released today.

Climate Change Action in Focus as World Works towards New Climate Deal

Nairobi, 29 January 2014 - The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is inviting nominations for the 2014 Champions of the Earth Award, which honours visionaries whose actions and leadership have had a positive impact on the environment.

UNEP's Champions of the Earth-lauded each year in the fields of Policy and Leadership, Science and Innovation, Entrepreneurial Vision, and Inspiration and Action-serve as an inspiration for transformative action as the world transitions to an inclusive Green Economy.

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Previous laureates have been recognized for their efforts in areas such as the management of natural resources, demonstrating new ways to tackle climate change and food waste, taking uncompromising business decisions based on sustainability models and raising awareness of emerging environmental challenges.

This year, UNEP is particularly interested in individuals who have made a substantive contribution to tackling climate change as the global community works towards the agreement of a new comprehensive climate deal, which will be adopted in 2015 and implemented from 2020. Women and youth nominees are also strongly encouraged.

Google Earth, Brazil's Minister of Environment Izabella Teixeira and Carlo Petrini, the founder of the Slow Food Movement, were among the award winners in 2013.

Others winners in 2013 were European Commissioner for Environment Janez Potocnik; Veerabhadran Ramanathan, Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD; Jack Dangermond, founder of the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), and Martha Isabel Ruiz Corzo from the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve in Mexico.

Champions of the Earth is now in its 10th year, and since its inception has seen steady growth in both profile and the number of nominees. It has recognized heads of state, companies, activists, musicians and many others at award ceremonies in major cities such as Singapore, Paris, Seoul, New York City and Rio de Janeiro.

The 2014 winners will be unveiled at a gala event towards the end of the year. China's Guangdong Wealth supported the 2013 awards, and will continue to do so in 2014.

About Champions of the Earth

Champions of the Earth, which was launched in 2005, is the UN's flagship environmental award. To date, it has recognized 59 individuals and organizations for their leadership, vision, inspiration and action on the environment. The list of previous Champions laureates include Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Chinese actress and environmental advocate Zhou Xun, the Women's Environment & Development Organization (WEDO) and global music legend Angélique Kidjo. Visit http://www.unep.org/champions/ to register your nomination.

About Guangdong Wealth

Guangdong Wealth Environmental Protection is a leading supplier of water purifying products and water treatment integrated solutions in China. The company practices a business model that puts social welfare before economic interests. Their development concept "let the sky be bluer and the water clearer" supports UNEP's goals of maintaining, if not improving, the health of our natural resources. The company invests in environmental scholarships for young university students, organizes clean-up operations and donates tonnes of purifying tablets to tackle pollution in rivers in Guangdong and Beijing.